Category Archives: Hunting

Two of the three judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals showed a complete disregard for animal suffering when they ruled in favor if caged hunting. It’s called “high-fence deer hunting” in an Indy Star article from February 3.

The Department of Natural Resources had banned the practice, but the ruling overturned the ban and opened up more deer to be shot by hunters who pay big money to hunt farm-raised deer inside fenced enclosures.

In other words, it’s a system where rich, really lazy guys briefly get off their asses to hunt down deer who are trapped and have no means to escape. There’s more actual hunting involved when people go to the grocery store.

It’s for people who are really bad at hunting. It’s like friends gathering together for a fishing trip and when they arrive they just stand on the shore of the lake while boats pull up and hand them a rod and reel with a fish already hooked on it.

They go back home and tell their wives about how tough it was, after sending out photos on Facebook.

The Indy Star ran a series of articles last year about the practice of canned hunting, noting it’s all about profit and the antlers. It’s not sporting and it’s not about food. It’s just so a few people can pay big money to take home some huge antlers.

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The Texas Tech cheerleader who drew a lot of attention recently after posing with animals she had killed on big-game trophy hunts, appeared recently at an outdoors show.

Recall that supporters of the woman used the excuses that killing endangered animals somehow helps to protect them. I guess if there isn’t a reasonable excuse for doing something wrong, people will try to fill the void with some sort of nonsense.

But now the nonsense has been taken to a new level, by the cheerleader’s father. In a CNN video, he says, “There’s never been an animal go extinct because of hunters. There’s been animals go extinct because of poachers.”

That is unbelievably, stunningly inaccurate. Just go to the Wikipedia link highlighted here and go from the 18th Century forward. Between hunting and habitat destruction, humans have been wiping out species for a long, long time. And hunting only becomes poaching when the hunting and habitat destruction reaches critical levels.

And the father’s statement is only made worse by the fact that if not for protections, such as those put into effect by the Endangered Species Act, even more animal species would have been wiped out by hunting. Take for example the Bald Eagle.

But it is important to note that this case also reflects on the state of journalism in the US. I have no problem with news outlets presenting statements from both sides within a story like this. But facts matter. What the dad said was grossly inaccurate. Journalists and news outlets have a responsibility to report facts.

Sure, present the opinions from both sides. But when a statement is made by either side that steps way beyond the scope of fact, the media should the take the extra step to report the facts. To let the extreme inaccuracy go is just lazy.

Born Free USA released a statement this afternoon concerning the auction for a permit to kill an endangered black rhino.

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Wildlife conservation leader is saddened by Namibia’s decision and calls for action to oppose any permit application to bring the “trophy” to the U.S.

Washington D.C., January 17, 2014 — Today, Adam Roberts, Executive Vice President of Born Free USA, a national leader in wildlife conservation and animal welfare, released this statement regarding the killing of a black rhino auction in Texas:

“Born Free USA is saddened by Namibia’s misguided and short-sighted decision to allow this black rhino hunt to take place. More importantly we will be mobilizing our grassroots supporters nationwide to oppose any permit application to bring the ‘trophy’ back into America.”

He continued, “With fewer than 5,000 black rhinos left in the wild it is truly shocking that any hunter would consider it sporting to slaughter one. That’s not real conservation. Real conservation involves wildlife law enforcement, securing protected areas, and stopping illicit trade. Funds to underwrite these vital, life-saving activities could be provided without carnage.”

“More than 1,000 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone in 2013 — the highest number in one year on record. The global conservation community and governments everywhere must speak with a unified voice to declare that any killing of any rhino is incompatible with conservation, and for a species as imperiled as the rhino, every animal’s life is significant,” Roberts said.

Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that bans the use of dogs for hunting bears and bobcats. California is now the 15th state to have such a ban, as reported by the Daily Democrat.

Brown has also signed a host of other animal-welfare measures, such as a doubling of the fines for those convicted of cockfighting. And fines were also increased for other forms of animal fighting – and for those attending these evil events.

A bill is now law that prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to declaw their cats or others household pets. People charged with animal cruelty will have a tougher time regaining custody of their pets.

All of this is great news. Now we need to get a lot of other states on board to pass similar animal-welfare laws. Only 15 states have banned the use of dogs in hunting bears and bobcats? Compassion still has a long, uphill road to travel. Dogs should not be put at risk the way they are in hunting bears, bobcats, wolves and other animals, where there is risk of suffering for the dogs or the animals being hunted.

The Pack Topics series continues today with a focus on the odd mentality of those from the other side.

Gas Chambers: Despite reports that dogs were surviving a gas chamber in Fairfield County, Ohio, three county commissioners there want more time to consider a ban on the horrible practice. And they requested more time to study the issue despite hearing that dogs who survived the chambers were thrown into an incinerator – while still alive.

An Examiner.com editorial notes approximately 10 of Ohio’s 88 counties still use gas chambers. It is sad to think that we are even discussing this topic euthanizing homeless pets, even if it is only those who are suffering through some terrible injury or ailment. But no counties should be using gas chambers.

Lawsuit filed to stop wolf hunting with dogs in Wisconsin: A lawsuit has been filed in Wisconsin to stop the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Natural Resources Board (NRB) from allowing wolf hunts with dogs.

Let’s give this one a Pack of Clueless. A Care2.com article includes this sentence: “Supporters of the rule don’t expect there to be any problems. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, for one, doesn’t believe there’s any basis to support the notion that dogs and wolves would fight.”

A wildlife federation, with people working in the organization who don’t know dogs are basically wolf-hybrids? This is clueless on a grand scale.

Puppy mill couple wants more dogs: This one is just sad. The Jones County, NC couple who pleaded guilty last week to 19 counts of animal cruelty, for running a puppy mill, is challenging the ruling that bans them from having animals for five years.

The couple denies animal cruelty took place, but an article by WNCT notes prosecutors said many of the dogs “had life threatening infections and diseases.”

Of course, the ruling should have been a lifetime ban on possessing animals.

Proposed USDA breeder rules: I ran across another opinion piece about the proposed new USDA rules that would close a huge loophole in breeding regulations. Carole Raphaelle Davis of the LA Animal Rights Examiner discusses the fact that since selling over the Internet, the phone and through the mail are not covered properly by the Animal Welfare Act, these sellers are not regulated the way other breeders are.

The licensed breeders face inspections and fall under basic standards of care, although these standards need to be improve to a large extent.

Violations found at research lab: And speaking of the USDA, inspectors found Animal Welfare Act violations – for the second time – at Santa Cruz Biotechnology’s laboratory. Several goats were found with untreated injuries or other medical conditions.

The Monterey County Herald reports one veterinarian was on staff to care for “10,000 goats and 6,000 rabbits as well as an undetermined number of cattle and horses.” – That’s one vet – as in less than two. Maybe the top officials at the lab can take a pay cut now so that more vets can be hired, but I won’t be holding my breath.

Hunting bears and bobcats with dogs: An effort to ban the use of dogs to hunt bears and bobcats in California is gaining ground, according to a story posted June 12 on the Daily Democrat website.

And once again, the slippery-slopers are out in force, saying a ban on having dogs run a bear or bobcat to the point of exhaustion so it can be shot at close range, will lead to a ban on all hunting. One hunter in the article is quoted as saying it is more humane that other forms of hunting. Of course, he has no understanding of animal emotion and fails to understand the stress of being chased for miles by a pack of dogs. I guess he would consider that a fun jog in the woods?

Fourteen states have bans in place for hunting bears with dogs and 13 have bans for this practice for bobcats.

Push for better puppy mill regulations in West Virginia: A case in Harrisville, W.Va. involving 30 dogs found abandoned on the side of a road has resulted in renewed calls for better anti-puppy mill regulations. The discussions have centered on the proposed rules to include breeders who sell over the Web, phone and in ads – to be covered under the Animal Welfare Act.

I hope we continue to see this message being spread in every state.

WBOY.com reports the Legislative Action Group of the Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia is one group leading the charge. To me, it is troubling that elected officials have taken so long to get this done, to close this huge loophole in law. This one should have been an unanimous vote in both houses a long time ago.

Puppy store operator charged with animal cruelty: A California puppy store operator has been charged with animal cruelty. NCTimes.com reports this is the third time he has been charged with mistreatment of animals.

Back on March 27, 117 animals were taken during raids on the accused home and from two San Diego pet shops.

Pictures are sailing around the Web of Donald Trump’s sons posing with the bodies of dead animals they killed in Africa. The most troubling photo shows one of them with the tail of a dead elephant.

Elephants are in real trouble, as poachers are trying to wipe them off the face of the Earth for their tusks. Trump’s sons are promoting this carnage with smiles of joy in what they’ve done.

An editorial posted Tuesday on the Global Animal website includes a couple of pictures and notes the brothers are defending their actions by saying they gave the meat to local villagers. If that was the mission of the trip – to feed hungry people – then why not offer funding to programs that really help these people. With their wealth, they could feed hundreds of thousands of starving people for a lifetime.

But the reality of their juvenile killing-camping trip was the high of killing large species and posing for photos with the dead bodies or body parts. And killing an elephant is especially heartless.

I write often about puppies needing to stay with their moms and siblings for at least 12 weeks, to learn social and behavior skills. These two brothers clearly needed more education – in the way of compassion for others and an understanding of what animal really are – before being allowed to roam the world freely.

Janette Reever, the deputy manager of animal-fighting investigations with the Humane Society of the United States was quoted in the article – “It’s everywhere. People think they don’t have dogfighting in their community, but they do. It just hasn’t been discovered yet.”